Scunthorpe United recently completed the signing of midfielder Dan Batty on a short-term deal, but could his stay be extended beyond that?
The Iron currently find themselves in the relegation zone of the National League, just months after they made the play-offs in their first season back in the division but ultimately fell short.
This time around, Andy Butler’s side have struggled to replicate the heights, having lost several key players through departures and injuries, leading to them losing seven of their opening 11 league games.
However, fans are set to receive a morale boost, regarding the retention of one of their recruits.
Scunthorpe midfielder confirms contract option
As mentioned, within the last few weeks, Scunthorpe have completed the permanent signing of York City title-winning midfielder Dan Batty on a free transfer, with the deal existing until January – thus risking him becoming a free agent for the second time in six months.
The 28-year-old played 42 times in York’s title-winning season, contributing four goals but was largely utilised as a squad option under Stuart Maynard and was eventually released, after his contract came to an end.
He has since featured twice for Scunthorpe since his arrival, assisting a goal on his debut during a 4-1 victory, before featuring in last weekend’s heavy defeat against in-form Barrow.
However, Batty has revealed during an interview with BBC Humberside Sport that he does have an option to extend his stay until the end of the season.
Addressing his deal, the midfielder stated…
“At the moment it’s until January, but there’s a little thing in there that if I get a certain amount of games and things like that, I can progress until the end of the season. Hopefully, I’m looking forward to being here for the season if I hit those targets.
“I’d like to think that I can. I’d like to play as much as I can, start as many games as I can and really kick on.”
How key could this be for Scunthorpe’s revival attempt?
When a side loses its captain, vice-captain and key creative midfielder within a few weeks during the summer, they are unsurprisingly likely to struggle and that’s been the exact case with Butler’s Scunthorpe so far this season.
However, Scunthorpe have looked to address their poor form with the arrivals of experienced duo Dan Batty and James Norwood, in an attempt to add leadership, quality and depth back into the side.
Batty has made 84 appearances across the last two seasons, proving to be a reliable midfielder in terms of minutes due to the lack of injuries and has a play-off semi-final and title triumph under his belt within that time frame, as well as having EFL experience.
After losing the likes of Cal Roberts, Batty restores a significant amount of experience which will benefit the rest of the players around him. This leadership could lead to an increase in squad morale, likely leading to improved results and a rise back up the table.
